Enemy mine
by slythadri
Summary: A/N: AU, OOC, EWE. Written for the Houses Competition, Round 8, Bonus Round 2 Ginny Weasley finds herself face to face with the one that used to haunt her nightmares. Would he now haunt her dreams? Rare pairing.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: AU, OOC, EWE. Written for the Houses Competition, Round 8, Bonus Round 2.

Title: Enemy Mine

House: Slytherin

Position: Year 4

Prompt: [Theme] temptation

Additional: [Color] Sarcoline [Action] sprinting

Word count: 1907

Beta: Daronwyk

"Who's going to get the Death Eater?"

"Cho! You shouldn't talk like that! He's a team sponsor, and we have a responsibility to the team!"

"Well, they better not ask me to do it. I would rather quit!"

Ginny Weasley heard the commotion in the locker room of the Holyhead Harpies and stood by the door until the conversation died down. When things seemed to have calmed down she approached her teammate, Cho Chang, who was still changing into her flying robes, looking flustered and upset.

"Hi, Cho. Everything alright?" The redheaded witch asked with some concern.

The seeker huffed and shook her head, then turned towards Ginny, her stance defiant.

"You know we have that gala next week, the one to honor the team sponsors? Well, turns out we have been asked to escort the donors, as their dates, if they are coming alone. Guess who's going to be coming alone? The old crook himself. I wonder if they would actually force one of us to walk him in. They cannot force us, can they? Is not anywhere in our contracts."

Ginny looked pensive for a moment.

"No, they cannot force us to do anything of that sort, but don't worry I'll escort him if he plans to attend."

Cho looked at her, stunned

"Really? It doesn't bother you?"

Ginny shrugged.

"Not really, no. Is not like he can try to do anything to anyone these days. The Ministry would put him back in Azkaban in a second if he dared to breathe too loud. Besides, I want to see his face when he sees who his companion would be. After all, he owes me."

Cho shook her head, then raised her hands in surrender.

"Suit yourself." Then she left the locker room.

Ginny changed slowly, thinking about this news. The gala was a tradition; every year the team would honor their biggest donors by throwing a magnificent party in one of the luxury boxes at their Stadium. Being an all-witches team, the event had always been a bit controversial, as the tabloids liked to speculate that it was an excuse for rich men to mingle with a group of young, fit women. It was true that the team's Board of Directors took advantage of that fact. They even hired renown fashion designers to dress the players and stylists to do their hair and makeup, to assure that they would look great. Ginny never thought that was a big deal. They worked every day to prove they were as strong and capable as the co-ed and all-male teams. Why not indulge in their femininity once a year, especially if the team was covering all expenses. She always had a great time at the gala.

This year though, there was a new donor, or to be precise, a returned donor. Ginny had seen him for the first time six months ago, sitting at the luxurious donor's box. People would come by, shake his hand and move on as if they recognize him as one of them, but then didn't want to be too closely associated with him. When the team flew into formation to salute the fans she positioned herself straight in front of the donors' box. There, sitting like a king in a luxurious leather chair, was Lucius Malfoy. When she saw him she tensed up, but that probably made her look regal. Hovering on her broom, with her hair flowing in the wind and a quaffle under her arm she was far from the little girl who got possessed by a nasty diary. She was a woman now, and she was hovering in front of the man that had been the subject of her teenage nightmares. When he saw her, he straightened up in his chair. She could swear he recognized her. How much thought had he given her over the years, probably none. He may have not even recognized her name on the team lineup, but at that moment he was looking straight at her. His face, which used to be a mask of permanent disdain, now showed something else. Admiration perhaps? She didn't have more than a couple of minutes to dwell on it though before she had to focus on the game again. Ginny snapped out of her thoughts and went into the pitch for practice.

Later that day, Ginny had a fitting for the dress she would wear at the gala. For a few years now, Pansy Parkinson had been the choice designer for the team, and the two young women had become casual friends. Pansy loved dressing the Harpies because they had great athletic bodies, so her designs looked great and got a lot of exposure. She was fussing around Ginny, adjusting things here and there when she asked.

"So who are you bringing to the gala? Any hot new prospects?" Pansy knew of the difficulties these young female athletes had in the dating department, as they were constantly traveling. Half of the team were single and available, including Ginny.

Ginny smirked

"Well, we have been asked to escort one of the donors, if they are coming by themselves and we are also unaccompanied."

"Oh. And who are you planning to escort."

Ginny took a deep breath.

"Lucius Malfoy."

Pansy looked stunned for a second, then composed herself and said,

"That is very nice of you. Lucius is in a very rough place right now. The years in Azkaban, losing his wife while he was imprisoned, the distance between him and Draco… I know he did horrible things and made terrible mistakes, but he is not a murderer or a psychopath. He was a proud and misguided wizard, and now he is just a lonely man."

Ginny sigh. She had not spared a minute to think about the possibility that Lucius was a man in pain. It made sense though. He had been defeated in every possible way, in every aspect of his life. All he had left now was his money and that alone could not buy him happiness. In the middle of that thought, she turned around to look at herself in the mirror.

"Wow. I'm naked."

Pansy rolled her eyes

"You are not naked. The dress covers you from shoulders to ankles. Only your arms are bare, and your right leg when you walk because of the thigh-high slit.

The dress hugged Ginny's body perfectly and covered most of it, but the color was very close to her skin tone.

"What do you call this color again?"

"Sarcoline"

"That's a mouthful. I'm going to call it naked."

Pansy laughed.

"Whatever. Come on, tell me you don't look fantastic. The neutral color makes your fiery hair pop. Wear light make up with red lipstick and you will be the Queen Harpy for a night."

Ginny smiled. The dress did look great.

The night of the gala she was running late. The Stadium apparition points were far away from the sponsor's box, and she was sprinting down a long corridor despite her high heels. When she reached the reception area she slowed down, put out a compact mirror to check her makeup one last time and walked towards a group of men that were politely chatting by the box entrance.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

"Ah, Miss Weasley, what a pleasure," said Ludo Bagman in his usual ostentatious way. "Are you by yourself tonight?"

"Actually, I wanted to welcome our returning sponsor," she said turning to Lucius. "Mr. Malfoy, care to escort a lady inside?"

Lucius felt a cold chill running down his spine. Many years ago he had unconscionably put this girl in mortal danger, treating her like a disposable rag. Why she was offering her company now was beyond him. Yet, as etiquette demanded, he offered his arm.

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Weasley."

They went inside and did the obligatory round of greetings and chitchat, and after a half hour, they finally made their way to the bar. Lucius ordered two glasses of Ogden's Old and gave one to Ginny.

"Miss Weasley, may I ask a personal query?"

She smiled and gestured for him to proceed.

"Why did you choose to escort me tonight?"

She thought for a minute, then answered

"I wanted to prove that I am no longer a scared little girl. That I am not scared of you, or of anybody else for that matter, but so far it seems there was no need for me to be scared anymore."

Lucius' grey eyes showed a deep sadness.

"I am but an old, tired man, Miss Weasley. I was once proud and stubborn, if not downright stupid. But now nothing remains of that man. I lost everything I ever cared for. I lost my wife, and I have all but lost my son too. There is no fight left in me. So no, you chose the wrong test of courage, for I am only a pitiful, wounded old wolf."

Ginny took a sip of her drink, considering his words. She decided there was no glory in mistreating a wounded prey. She decided to lighten the mood and asked him about his past history of supporting the team and the conversation flowed easily, centering mostly about the sport and other light subjects. They sat for dinner and made some more light conversation, and even allowed themselves a bit of gossip about the people in the room. Lucius knew so many secrets about everyone that Ginny quipped that he could run the gossip column of Witch Weekly without leaving his studio, as apparently, all juicy information found its way to him. He laughed, a sincere and open laughter that she couldn't have imagined it was possible in the austere man. She shared her thoughts on the matter and with a nostalgic smile, he told her that the only person that had been able to bring that up on him before had been his late wife.

After a few more moments of unexpected confidences, she looked towards the dance floor and asked

"Care to dance, Mr. Malfoy?"

He stood up, bowed and offered his hand. They entered the dance floor and he guided her on a flawless waltz. After that, they continued for a couple of slow dances. She took the opportunity to look at him closely, as never before. Despite everything that had happened, despite all the darkness, pain, fear, and disappointments, he hadn't aged a day. Maybe it was the ever platinum hair, long and shiny and carefully tied behind his head, or maybe it was the flawless Malfoy marble skin. He looked as young as he had been all those years ago at the bookshop, and yet the newfound softness in his eyes allowed her to admire his masculine beauty.

They talked some more, danced some more, shared one more drink. At the end of the night, she said her goodbyes to all the required people and then offered her hand to him, the last _adieu_.

"Let me walk you to the apparition point," he said, lifting the hand to his lips.

She knew she should say no. She knew she should run. She knew she wouldn't have the strength to resist the temptation to let him come close. She knew that she should avoid the temptation to allow Lucius Malfoy to kiss her. Because the moment she succumbed to the temptation would be the moment when Lucius Malfoy would once again haunt her dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This story was supposed to be a one-shot and was written originally for the Houses Competition. As always, I couldn't help myself, so here is chapter 2.

xoxo

Lucius put away the piles of parchment he had been reading over and signing. For the last two years, since his release from Azkaban, his days were filled by the management of the charitable organization that Narcissa had started when he was incarcerated. The needs of the victims of the war were vast and she had dedicated her life to try to make amends for the horrific mistakes that her family had made. But then she got suddenly sick and had died while he was still imprisoned. Lucius blamed himself for it, for making her suffer so much, for destroying her life with his uncontrolled ambition, for having been so stupid. Now, this was all he had left, his fortune and his late wife's legacy. So he spent his days reading over cases and trying his best to find ways to rebuild the world that he had helped destroy. He thought himself beyond redemption, and he did not expect forgiveness, only the opportunity to help wherever he could. After his release, he had kept a low profile but eventually being confined to his manor felt too close to being in prison, so he tried to find some pastimes. Quidditch had always been one of his passions, so he took back his place as a donor for the Holyhead Harpies, which granted him a seat in the private box. He thought it would be a welcome distraction and a way to go out for a bit without having to be too concerned if the socializing part was awkward, as he could just sit and focus on the game. Donors also had the privilege to observe some of the team practices, a favorite pastime of rich men with a taste for gambling or beautiful women. Lucius had always been inclined to gambling, and now he would still pretend that was his reason to attend those private sessions. But now he had an ulterior motive. Old habits and all that. He looked at the grandfather clock and felt his heart flutter in his chest. He would take the floo in five minutes.

A few hours later Ginny Weasley was pouring herself some tea. She was freshly showered, wrapped in a bathrobe, her damp red hair falling free on her back. She lived in a modern loft with a nice view, one of the perks of being a well-paid athlete. She sat on the couch that faced the floor to ceiling windows and took a long sip of her tea. A year ago, when she had found the loft with the help of her friend Hermione Granger, who had convinced her to search for a place in the Muggle world and simply connect it to the floo network, she had been elated. But lately, she had been feeling very lonely there. Her schedule was crazy, leaving her very little time for socializing, and her dating life was a disaster. She enjoyed her career too much and had no intentions to slow down, and that kept most wizards at bay. It was hard to find a young man who was really willing to wait for her for weeks at the time to come home only to leave again soon after. There was a running joke among her teammates that they should change their names from the Holyhead Harpies to the Holyhead Spinsters. The truth was most female quidditch players from other teams were married to their teammates, as they were the men they could actually spend time with. Being an all-witches team was a huge disadvantage for their romantic lives. But they all loved the team and the game. Ginny sigh and then smiled. In front of her on the coffee table was a vase with a dozen of the most perfect white roses. They had arrived the day after the gala, with a note in elegant handwriting

 _Thank you for a wonderful evening._

 _You are nothing short of exquisite._

 _Until we meet again._

 _Yours_

 _Lucius._

Ginny closed her eyes and thought back at the events of today. They had an open practice, so before starting they flew into formation to salute the donors that had gathered to watch. When she placed herself in front of the box her heart skipped a beat. Lucius Malfoy was standing there, mingled with the others, but as they all stood to give the team a round of applause the man kept his eyes on her. She couldn't help the smile and the blush that crept onto her face. When the ovation died down Lucius put a hand over his heart and offered her a small bow. She had to concentrate on breathing.

A knock on glass brought her back to the present. A majestic eagle owl was standing on the ledge. She slid open the window and the bird presented her with a letter before going to rest on a perch. She saw the unmistakable wax seal and felt her pulse raise again.

 _Dearest Ginevra_

 _Please do me the honor of having dinner with me tomorrow._

 _I have sent a portkey with this letter in the hopes that you would accept._

 _It is set for 7 pm. You need not reply. I will be waiting._

 _Yours_

 _Lucius_

The owl hooted from the perch and offered a leather pouch tied to its leg. Ginny took it and emptied it on her hand. It was a delicate bracelet of green peridot crystals, her birthstone. She gasped.

The next day Ginny went to the Ministry in the morning. First, she went to the Department of Mysteries and got the bracelet checked. It was reported quickly as a normal magical bracelet embedded only with transportation magic.

"That's quite a pricey portkey," joked the employee that checked it. Ginny smiled and thank the wizard, then went to the Department of Magical Transportation to inquire about the portkey.

"Oh, yes, I set this up myself," said an old witch with thick glasses. "International portkey. Quite a pricey one, both because of the international travel cost and also who makes a portkey out of jewelry. Bonkers."

"Where is it set to go?" Ginny asked.

The witch consulted a thick book.

"The French Riviera. Monaco. Nice trip, young lady. Enjoy."

Ginny walked out of the ministry on a haze. She was going to have dinner in Monaco. Tonight. With Lucius Malfoy. She decided it would be a good idea to let someone know where she would be, but she didn't feel like sharing this particular information with her closest friends, as they may throw a fit. She'll tell the one person that would understand. She went straight to a fashion design studio in Diagon Alley.

"Hey, Pansy."

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" said the brunette witch, kissing both her cheeks.

"I, well, I wanted to let someone know where I'm going tonight."

Pansy looked at her quizzically. Ginny took a deep breath.

"I'm having dinner with Lucius Malfoy."

Pansy opened her eyes like saucers

"Oh wow. Alright then. I guess that means you need a dress. And shoes. Where is he taking you?"

Ginny blushed

"Monaco."

"Oh dear, you don't need a dress, you need _the_ dress. You are in for quite a night. And don't worry, I know why you confide in me. You want to feel safe but not alert your overprotective friends, am I right?" she said with a wink.

That evening Ginny looked at herself in the mirror. The green dress that Pansy had fitted for her was spectacular, form-fitting, with a corseted top and a flowy mermaid tail. She hoped that it wouldn't be too much.

"Nonsense," had said the designer, "you are having dinner in Monaco. Lucius is not taking you there for fish and chips. Just look at the portkey he set up. Way to give a woman a piece of jewelry and making it look casual. Smooth."

Ginny secured the bracelet on her wrist and at the appointed hour it glowed and she was gone. She landed softly on a balcony and the ocean breeze caressed her skin.

"You are a vision."

"Lucius."

"Ginevra, darling," he said, taking her hand and kissing it reverently.

She felt her heart in her throat. He slowly shifted to stand behind one of her shoulders and placed his hand delicately in the small of her naked back, then leaned to speak on her ear.

"Our table is ready."

She would have melted into a puddle on the floor if that hand was not holding her. An elegant, private booth was waiting for them, a bottle of chilled white wine uncorking itself as they sat. he slid next to her and offered her a glass. They clinked and sipped, maintaining eye contact. The first course appeared, raw oysters. Lucius grabbed one and squeezed some lemon on it, then brought it to her lips. She savored it and he fixed one for himself. After enjoying his bite he said

"The best things in life do not need much garnish. I knew that once, then I forgot it. Now I'm learning again."

"What do you want for your life now, Lucius?" she asked sincerely.

He thought for a moment, looking at her face, then his gaze dropped to her lips and he answered

"Things that I cannot have. That I shouldn't want. It is always been my karma to want the things I should not desire. For the longest time, I craved power. And that ruined everything that I had and did not appreciate: love, family, tranquility. Now I want those things, but all I have left are piles of material things that do not hold much meaning anymore."

Ginny lowered her eyes, tears prickling in them. For him and for herself. Her life was very lonely. She had a loving family but her career kept her away for long periods of time and she craved romantic love. But when you need to go away for a month after a first date, you find no one waiting for you when you come back.

"I sometimes wonder if I will end up alone," she said, dapping at the corners of her eyes. "I love my career so much, is such a big part of who I am that I think if I ever leave it just to be with someone I will resent them for it. But how can I ask anyone to just stay put and wait for me as I come and go?"

Lucius cupped her face in his hands and leaned onto her lips

"You do not ask. You come back and he will be waiting."


End file.
